My Daily Hug
by sue-sylvester-shuffle
Summary: 'After one of the janitor's pranks goes too far, JD hits his head and gets amnesia. Dr Cox can't believe it, but he misses the little puppy dog of a boy that used to follow him around.' JD/Cox friendship, possibly shipping.


**Summary: After one of the janitor's pranks goes too far, JD hits his head and gets amnesia. Dr Cox can't believe it, but he misses the little puppy dog of a boy that used to follow him around.**

JD was having a good day.

Dr Cox hadn't been _too _brutal to him. That was probably because he hadn't really seen him around a lot. And although that would usually make JD sad, Turk had let him fly around screaming, "Eagle!" a lot. And Carla had made cookies, which he promptly ate half of.

But, most of all, JD had had a good day because the janitor hadn't pulled any pranks on him. No being locked in the closet, or paint falling from the ceiling onto him. Nothing.

And so, as JD rode away from Sacred Heart on his scooter, he grinned. "I love my job." he sighed to himself.

_CRASH!_

JD smashed headfirst into something hard. He gasped, as his scooter flew out from underneath him, and he fell to the ground. His head felt like it had been split open- hey, for all he knew, it _had. _Because as he lay there on the ground, he felt something wet in his hair. And it wasn't gel.

_Blood. _JD squirmed uncomfortably. There was no way he could get up, but he hoped, with all his heart… that someone would come…

Dr Cox was having a good day, too.

None of his patients had died. He'd managed to avoid Newbie and his annoying friends, Gandhi and Barbie. And now, he was leaving work, going home to see his little son Jack. Life was pretty good…

However, as he walked down the steps, he saw something strange. An intricately painted billboard was there, made to look _exactly _like the view from the parking lot. Frowning, he went over and glanced at it head-on. If you were walking toward it, you would have no idea.

And then he felt something on his ankle. Cox looked down to see what it was, and gasped.

It was Newbie. Newbie, in his little navy scrubs, with his helmet lying beside him and blood dripping ominously from his dark hair.

Cox cursed under his breath. Damn whoever had set up this billboard; because it was obviously the culprit. Newbie's scooter lay mangled and smoking a few feet away from its rider, and there were flakes of blue paint in Newbie's hair.

"Dr Cox…" Newbie whispered, tugging incessantly at Cox's pants leg.

"Don't worry, Newbie." Cox leaned down and, with much difficulty- he wasn't as able-bodied as he used to be- scooped up his fellow doctor.

Newbie's head lolled against his arm as Cox re-entered the hospital. Carla and Gandhi were at the door; they were just leaving. When they saw Newbie, both of their faces turned to shock.

"A little help here?" Cox growled through gritted teeth. Blood was soaking into his coat, and Newbie was impossibly heavy.

"Y-Yes." Carla ran to get a stretcher. Gandhi came over and looked down at Newbie, frowning.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Someone set up some kind of trick billboard over there." Cox gestured with his head. "Stupid Newbie didn't see it and crashed."

"Who would do that?" Gandhi stared at his best friend with wide eyes. "Who would _want _to hurt JD?"

And then, in that moment, they both knew. A look of understanding passed over both of their faces, and Cox muttered, "Janitor."

Just then, Carla ran back, pushing a stretcher. Cox put Newbie onto it, and the three of them wheeled him into the emergency room.

As they ran, Cox glanced down at Newbie. He was so still, so grave… nothing like the little puppy dog of a boy that used to follow him around all the time.

And, though he didn't know why, he felt guilty.

When they got into the emergency room, Carla wrapped bandages around Newbie's head as Cox and Gandhi watched.

But every second that passed made Cox's heart hurt more. Eventually, he just scoffed and turned away, storming out of the room.

He was all too aware of Gandhi and Carla staring at him as he left. But he couldn't help it. He just couldn't watch anymore.

Cox sat in the doctors' lounge. He was alone, except for the Todd sleeping on the couch, but he hardly noticed. The janitor was going to pay. That was for sure; what was _not _for sure was what would happen to Newbie. Cox just hoped that he would be alright.

Just then, Gandhi came in. "JD's awake."

That was it. No other explanation was needed. Cox got to his feet and wordlessly followed the surgeon out of the room.

Gandhi waited at the door, and let Cox enter on his own. Newbie was sitting up in the bed, a few strands of hair escaping from the crown of bandages he wore. His bright blue eyes were trained on Cox.

"Newbie." Cox exhaled in relief, running a hand through his sparse, curly hair.

"Hi there!" Newbie exclaimed. "You must be my doctor."

Cox paused, stopping dead in his tracks. He stared at Newbie's clueless face suspiciously.

"What?" he asked slowly.

Newbie's expression remained as placid and bright as ever. "You're my doctor, right? What's your name?"

"C-Cox." the doctor stammered. "Perry Cox."

"Can I call you Perry?" asked Newbie innocently.

_Strange. _It was a question he'd asked many times, and Cox had always denied him. But, in his confusion, he blurted out a yes.

"Perry." Newbie repeated it, and smiled. "You know, I'm in med school. I wanna be a doctor, too. Is it awesome?"

"I… well… excuse me for a moment." Cox stepped backward slowly, and then turned around, racing out of the room.

Gandhi was waiting for him. "Why didn't you _tell _me about this?" sputtered Cox angrily.

"About the amnesia?"

"_Yes, _about the amnesia!"

The surgeon shrugged, and sighed. "I dunno. I should've… sorry, Dr Cox."

Cox looked away from him and at Newbie, who was glancing around like he hadn't worked in the place for six years. "He thinks he's still in med school."

"I know. He keeps saying how unfair it is that I graduated before he did." Gandhi chuckled softly, following Cox's gaze.

"He doesn't recognize me." Cox murmured.

"Or Elliot, or Carla, or anyone he met here."

Newbie caught Cox looking at him, and he grinned foolishly and waved. Cox waved numbly back, and glanced back at Gandhi, unable to hide the look of hurt that had enveloped his face.

"I don't know why this bothers me so much." he murmured.

Gandhi shrugged again. "At least now he won't be bothering you anymore." He headed back into Newbie's room, leaving Cox to stand in shock.

And then, a blinding surge of fury devoured the numbness inside of him. Cox wheeled around, baring his teeth.

_Where was that janitor?_

He stormed off, through the hallways. His feet clapped onto the polished floors like lightning; he was going to find that janitor, and he was going to give him a piece of his mind.

Carla reached out to him as he walked. "Dr Cox, stop. Where are you going? You're JD's doctor! Why aren't you with him?"

"I'm going to find that damn janitor." hissed Cox, his stride unfailing. "Where is he? Where _is _that son of a-"

"You lookin' for me?"

Cox stopped in his tracks. The janitor had appeared in front of him, leaning casually on the handle of his mop.

"You." snarled Cox. "What have you _done?_"

"A lot of things." the janitor said thoughtfully.

"I'm talking about Newbie!" snapped Cox.

"Dorian?" The janitor frowned. "I thought he left."

"No, he did _not _leave." Cox found himself ranting, the words spilling out of him like blood from a cut. "He's here, in the hospital, with traumatic head injuries, and _amnesia. _He thinks he's still in med school. He… he doesn't know who I am." The last sentence was in a lower, softer tone; Cox's voice was hollow and broken.

The janitor didn't seem shocked at all by this, nor did he seem to care. He just shrugged. "Hm. Well, one less annoyance in this hospital." He chuckled. "I know it and you know it, Cox old buddy."

"Why does everyone keep assuming that I don't care?" Cox spluttered suddenly. "Because I _do, _dammit! I _do _care that Newbie won't recognize me now. I _do _care that he won't ask me for a hug, or desperately crave my attention. And if I could just turn back time… I wouldn't be so hard on him, I swear."

Carla was staring at Cox as if he'd just sprouted wings. Even the janitor's eyes sparked with interest.

"Dr Cox…" piped up Carla, placing her hand on his shoulder. But he shook it off, growling.

"I'm going to make your life a living _hell._"

"Dr Cox!" Carla tried again. Her eyes were trained on something behind him. However, he ignored her and continued to glare at the janitor.

"Oh, you are, are you?" the janitor jeered. He finally stood up to his full height, staring confidently into Cox's eyes.

Cox's anger was getting to a dangerous level. If he wasn't careful… he might just…

_Bam! _With a loud crack, Cox's fist connected with the janitor's face. At once, his anger drained away. He took a step back, satisfied, as the janitor hissed, clutching his face, and lumbered off.

There was a loud gasp from behind Cox. It hadn't come from Carla; confused, Cox whirled around to see that Newbie was standing there, eyes wide, mouth stuck in a comical, perfect O shape.

_Oh no. _Cox's stomach fell to his feet. He retracted his hand, rubbing his knuckles, his eyes glued to Newbie.

"You called me Newbie before." the dark-haired doctor began slowly. "And that's what you said now. That's why you punched that guy."

Cox opened his mouth to reply, but Newbie wasn't done.

"What happened, Dr? You said that I… I don't recognize you. Did I know you before my… my amnesia?"

"Why don't you come with me, JD?" suggested Carla suddenly, sweeping over and putting an arm around his shoulders. But he pulled away.

"No… Dr Cox first." Newbie was staring expectantly at the curly-haired doctor. "I need to know."

"Come on, JD-"

"No." Cox said quietly. "I'll tell him. Carla, can you maybe excuse us for a moment?"

The Latina nurse nodded. She let go of Newbie, and scurried off. Cox turned to Newbie, and sighed.

"You were one of my interns." Cox began slowly. "You were… honestly, you were one of the most annoying people I've ever met. And you still are."

Newbie looked sad.

"You always wanted a hug, Newbie. You always needed help with your patients. You had no idea of what personal space even _meant. _You and Gandhi are two of the most immature brats I've ever had the misfortune to meet."

"If you hated me so much," Newbie piped up suddenly, lower lip quivering like a plate of Jello, "Why did you punch that guy for me?"

"Because, above all your annoying habits, you're a great doctor and a…" Cox faltered, but, upon remembering that Newbie had no recollection of ever wanting his praise, he continued. "…You're a great friend."

A small smile played across Newbie's face. "Thanks, Dr Cox. I wish I still knew you, so I would appreciate this more."

"Oh, and you would've." Cox chuckled. "You craved my approval more than my own son does."

Newbie laughed as well. "Did I really always want you to hug me?"

Cox nodded emphatically. "Yes. In fact…" He opened his arms, and Newbie came forward, melting into his hug.

Cox had hoped that, by fulfilling Newbie's apparent life dream, he would trigger some kind of memory, and the amnesia would fade. But when the dark-haired doctor pulled away, he hadn't peed himself in excitement. He didn't even look remotely giddy.

"I'm sure the old JD would've loved that." Newbie remarked.

"Yeah, he would've." Cox murmured wistfully. Then, he had an idea. "Tell you what, Newbie. I'll come into your room every morning when you wake up, and give you a hug. To make up for all the ones I should have given you when you actually cared."

Newbie nodded. "That sounds nice, Dr Cox. Thanks." He turned around, and shuffled back toward his room, the sound of his footsteps accompanied by the screech of the IV machine scraping across the floor.

Cox gave a bleak smile. Perhaps now some of his guilt would fade away.

The next day, Cox knocked on Newbie's door. "Newbie, you there?"

"Yeah." came the response. Cox went into find that the dark-haired doctor was sitting upright in the hospital bed, beaming at him underneath the bandages on his head.

"What about that hug?" Cox joked, coming over. Newbie grinned; he let Cox come over and give him a hug.

"You know," Newbie began, his mouth right near Cox's ear, "It's weird… from what you said, I spent my life waiting for this. And now… here it is. And I feel nothing."

"I know." Cox's voice was clouded with pain. Newbie had just voiced what had been filling him with hurt ever since he had walked into Newbie's room for the first time, and discovered the amnesia.

"Well, thanks, Dr." Newbie pulled back, and smiled sympathetically at Cox. "I hope I get my memory back soon."

"Me too, Newbie, me too."

A couple of weeks later…

Cox came into Newbie's room, as he did every morning. "Hey Newbie."

There was no answer. Frowning, Cox went inside. What he saw made him gasp.

The pillow was soaked in blood, just like the bandages on Newbie's head. Newbie himself was pale, his hands clenched tightly around fistfuls of the blanket.

"The wound opened again!" Cox yelled. He ran over and yanked the bandages off, ready to stitch up Newbie's wound. "Carla!"

After a few, heart-pounding moments, Carla rushed into the room, carrying a surgical needle and thread. "Here you go, Dr Cox!" she exclaimed breathlessly, handing them to him.

Cox worked quickly but efficiently. Newbie moaned in pain, and Carla ran for new bandages.

Once he was done, Cox took a step back, exhaling loudly, his hands pressed to the back of his head like he did when he was stressed. Newbie was awake now, eyes open, and looking around.

"What just happened?" he asked blearily.

"The wound reopened." Cox explained. "But I put in new stitches. You're going to be just fine."

"Whew." Newbie sighed, just as Carla came back in with the roll of bandages. "Thanks, Dr Cox. Oh… I didn't get my hug."

Cox didn't smile as he went to wrap his arms around Newbie. He squeezed him tightly, as if protecting him from all the dangers of the world.

"Ow… too tight." Newbie laughed. But Cox didn't let go.

About a month later…

"Hi, Dr Cox." Newbie said, beaming up at his doctor.

"Hi there, Newbie. So… ready for your hug?" Cox asked, approaching the bed.

Immediately Newbie stiffened. "A hug?" he repeated.

"Come on. It's been almost two months now…" Cox trailed off, his jaw dropping. "Wait. Newbie. Tell me something… about yourself?"

"Um…" Newbie glanced up at the ceiling over his left shoulder. After a few moments of what seemed like hard thinking, he looked back at Cox. "Well… my name is John Dorian, AKA Vanilla Bear… I'm a doctor… I have a son named Sam Perry Gilligan… and what was about a hug?"

"Oh God." Cox whispered. Disbelief and joy were seeping through him. He stepped forward, and wrapped his arms tightly around Newbie.

Newbie squeaked. "Oh! Turk, Turk! Get my camera! Dr Cox is _hugging _me!"

Gandhi popped out from behind the door. He wrestled his cell phone out from his pocket, and snapped a picture.

Cox didn't care. "You're back. Oh, God, Newbie, I was so worried."

"You were?" Newbie's voice had risen several octaves. "Wow! Dr Cox was worried about me!"

"Hell yeah!" Gandhi exclaimed.

Cox finally pulled away. "Listen, Newbie… I'm sorry about how I treated you. And the janitor, too. I'll keep an eye out for him from now on, okay, Newbie?"

"Does this mean we're best buddies forever?" Newbie asked. He seemed to have disregarded everything that Cox had just said.

Cox rolled his eyes. Newbie was like a cheese grater on his nerves. But that didn't matter; he was fine, and he _remembered _Cox. That was all that mattered.

"That's what Gandhi here is for, isn't it?" Cox joked, standing up and smiling wryly. "But we'll be _friends, _if that's what you want."

And with that, he turned around and left the room. He could hear Gandhi and Newbie giggling like little schoolgirls from behind him, and he laughed as he walked.

Maybe he'd offer Newbie a ride home from work someday, now that his scooter was done for. At least there was no risk of Newbie hitting that darned billboard again…

And maybe, even though Newbie's memory was back, Cox would still give him a hug everyday. There had been six years that he _could _have hugged his colleague; and yet, Newbie had only gotten two months' worth of them.

Perhaps it was the best way to show that he cared.

end xoxo


End file.
